Harrisburg Board Supports Smithpeters

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WSIL Sports

Story Created:
Apr 18, 2013 at 11:45 PM CDT

Story Updated:
Nov 4, 2013 at 9:34 PM CDT

HARRISBURG -- The Harrisburg Board of Education will not require head basketball coach Randy Smithpeters to follow the recent sanctions handed down by the IHSA as fallout from last month's 2A state championship.

The board will allow the coach, players, and parents of next year's team to decide.

The IHSA has suspended Smithpeters from coaching in the postseason next year, unless he completes a teaching and modeling behavior training program before October 1st.

Smithpeters was also placed on probation for next school year for what IHSA executive director Marty Hickman called "crossing the line with his actions toward the game officials."

In a release, the board stated: "In an attempt to be politically correct, the administration of the IHSA made no attempt to assess the severity of the actions taken by each coach. The statement made by Mr. Hickman that the IHSA was disappointed with and embarrassed by both teams implied that each team and coach was equally at fault. We strongly disagree with that conclusion."

Seton Academy coach Brandon Thomas was suspended from postseason for two seasons. The Harrisburg board said "the level of punishment each coach received was disproportionate to the actions taken by Thomas" whom IHSA officials witnessed delivering an obscenity laced tirade at halftime and refused to bring his team out of the locker room to receive the second place trophy.